"Rebel Cigar Steamer" at Washington Navy Yard, 1866

Your lower blue line is a conning officer's platform, also used by the leadsman. The upper blue line should be continued left to end above the end of the lower blue line. This is the safety line over the platform. You can see several vertical stanchions between the two blue lines. This platform was needed to give the conning officer a better view of what was ahead in close maneuvering. You can see such platforms on many of the big merchant liners (like Titanic).

Thanks, I'd totally buy that analysis for a dollar.
If I could justify carving out from my copious spare time, I've been thinking that this would make a great model (in the same scale as the Lindberg 'Blockade Runner') by splicing a pair of these kits together (the larger scale kits becoming a wash when making a larger boat in a smaller scale).
 
Any of you guys have an idea about her underwater form ,props/s etc?

If you can't see these in Post #40, they should come up as a separate page with a right click
http://i.imgur.com/8oMxad7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jM4dTDE.jpg

Prop on centerline, rudder underneath which looks to be mounted on an extension of the keel. I'd expect something like a trim vane back there, and the chain that runs down the spin of the hull rear *has* to do something useful.
 
If you can't see these in Post #40, they should come up as a separate page with a right click
http://i.imgur.com/8oMxad7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/jM4dTDE.jpg

Prop on centerline, rudder underneath which looks to be mounted on an extension of the keel. I'd expect something like a trim vane back there, and the chain that runs down the spin of the hull rear *has* to do something useful.
Thank you but that's a David, the vessel we are researching is not.
 
Fair enough. I'll see what I make of it so far ,perhaps tomorrow.

Label it "CSS Preston, WNY 1866 v.1" with an annotation below the running gear that says "Extrapolated from the CSN 'DAVID' series" . I've seen similarly marked intelligence estimate drawings when the actual imagery was unavailable ('best guesstimate')
 
Here is the first attempt. I know it's not right, the propeller can't be in that position for a start ,but it's a
THE PRESTON FIRST VERSION.jpg
beginning.
 
Something similar: a model by Rene Heironymus, based upon David Meagher's plan of Lee's ram.
Unfortunately, a thread at shipmodelers no longer has the photos of his build, but here is one photo of his model:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/hieronymus/Civil war era/LeesRam7-1.jpg

Here is his introductory thread to this site: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/hello-from-far-far-away.106010/page-2

Also, in Meagher's plan, he list the length at 160', beam 12', draft 10', and the top of the propeller is just (barely) below the waterline. The pipe/ventilatorstack behind the aft hatch runs to the engine.
 
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Something similar: a model by Rene Heironymus, based upon David Meagher's plan of Lee's ram.
Unfortunately, a thread at shipmodelers no longer has the photos of his build, but here is one photo of his model:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/hieronymus/Civil war era/LeesRam7-1.jpg

Here is his introductory thread to this site: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/hello-from-far-far-away.106010/page-2

Also, in Meagher's plan, he list the length at 160', beam 12', draft 10', and the top of the propeller is just (barely) below the waterline. The pipe/ventilatorstack behind the aft hatch runs to the engine.
Are you talking about Lee's scratch plan or the modified Maury class hull? I ask because the above doesn't bear any resemblance to descriptions I've seen of the "Torch".
 
Version two underway gents. The 160ft vessels under weight at Charleston and Wilmington had beams of 28ft and drew 11ft, so anything out of proportion to them is not right. I also think both these and our guy would have had two props.
 
Yes... the beam was only 12 feet (11.5 ft actually), not 28... drew approximately 7 feet. I haven't seen anything comparable from Wilmington, so I take these dimensions from Ebaugh's description of his own 160 footer. Preston appears to have been shorter in length, estimated at 130-150 feet.
Also, I haven't had a chance to review all the posts thus far, but these were cotton boats, not torpedo boats, so there has to be a manner to load cargo internally and seal the hold. Something I noticed missing from the first iteration a few minutes ago.
Adam (Story) suggested changes must have been made after the vessel was taken into possession of the U.S. Navy. Perhaps that is the case, I don't know. The question would then become, what function would such a boat serve if the entire hull were sealed except for small personnel hatch(es)?
Like I said, I will review everything as soon as possible. Looking forward to seeing what everyone has already contributed and how that plays out.
 
Story suggested changes must have been made after the vessel was taken into possession of the U.S. Navy. Perhaps that is the case, I don't know. The question would then become, what function would such a boat serve if the entire hull were sealed except for small personnel hatch(es)?.

Extrapolating on my postulation, if this (nominal) CSS Preston was open-top (for cargo) in whilst still in Charleston and the USN built some/all of the weather deck, I could see that being done as a 'proof of concept' for a larger, faster, better delivery system for spar torpedoes.

If you're building/refining a test vehicle, it does not *need* to be fitted for the weapons system - you're playing with how it swims, not how it fights.
 
Ok, this hull sounds like the same size - how does it fit into our mystery?

SEMI SUBMERSIBLES
DAVID TYPE
Ordered by Navy Secretary Mallory August 1864 ,building at Mare & co Millwall, London. Never delivered. (Sold to Russia?)
160ft X 28ft X 11ft
steam, 1 screw, 2ft freeboard, 4 tube mounted spar torpedoes, 1 each bow & stern, port & starboard

From this post http://civilwartalk.com/threads/pho...-torpedo-boat-david.80806/page-2#post-1254648
From this thread http://civilwartalk.com/threads/photo-analysis-confederate-torpedo-boat-david.80806/
 
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